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Review of Generation Band, Tiga Puluh, 2010

Generation are a real band not an agency creation. They’ve been on the circuit for years (with some personnel changes) and probably their time playing Tiga Puluh at the Le Meridien hotel in Jakarta is not something they’ll look back on with a great deal of fondness.

Tiga Puluh is a classic example of how bad management can destroy a venue. It has gradually slipped down the rankings over the years and it now languishes at or near the bottom. It has a good layout and is great when full, but, to paraphase Bruce Springsteen, the glory days have passed it by.

Generation played there from March-August 2010.

Generation Band (2010)

They played as a 6-piece (2 female singers – Jenna and Jaralin, 1 male – Alvaro, guitar – Jerry, drums – Ryan, everything else – James). Unusually there was no bassist; there was an actual bass guitar although it was being passed around the band.

Overall I have given a rating of 67%.

1. Musicianship (15/20)
Generation have great musicians, particularly Jerry, who is undoubtedly one of the top guitarists on the circuit, and Jenna, who is an outstanding lead singer. Although they use backing tracks quite a lot, the tracks are extremely accurate, more so than any other band I’ve heard in Jakarta. They are also unique in that they have two lead guitarists (Alvaro can also play a solo) and therefore for example they are the only band that can play Hotel California properly (if that is important for you..).2. Atmosphere (12/20)They made the best of a bad situation in Tiga Puluh, and even when there were not many people there they were able to create an atmosphere. The irony is that at the time they were playing in Tiga Puluh, the band in BATS was pretty awful and it would have been far better for all concerned if Generation had been rocking BATS every night instead. A bit like Fabregas being stuck at Arsenal when he could be winning trophies with Barcelona. Same deal – a contract’s a contract. And at least BATS weren’t telling everyone they want the band then not offering any money ..3. Communication (15/20)
The band are fantastic communicators, particularly Jenna the lead singer. Often when bands are technically very good they don’t feel they need to bother communicating as they think the quality of their work is sufficient (some EL-Live line-ups spring to mind). Generation can match any other band technically, but are also down-to-earth, happy to mix with guests, share the stage with visiting musicians – a magical combination.4. Songs (12/20)
Generation have an extremely long songlist that they have built up over the years, and play all the main rock and top 40 songs. One minor quibble is that it sometimes it takes them a while to add the really up-to-date new songs.5. Value for money (13/20)
Tiga Puluh is comparatively not too expensive and when Generation were there it was definitely good value for money. Nowadays it’s a different story, but that’s for another review.